Editor-DN
Google is in an interesting position. It’s the developer of Android, but it’s also the hardware maker of a growing Android phone brand. Over the years, being an Android developer has given it an edge in creating hardware and software for Google Pixel phones.
However, with Android 16, Google is shaking things up. The company is completely changing the Android development and release schedule in a way that will benefit Google’s partner OEMs — and by extension, Pixel competitors.
Google is such a large tech conglomerate that it naturally has some competing interests. However, with the release of Android 16 Developer Preview 1 this week, the company has rightly and decisively put the Android platform above the Pixel brand. To compete with the iPhone, Google requires all of its Android partner OEMs to deliver full and timely version updates every year.
This is something that even the best Android phone manufacturers have been struggling with of late. It looks like Samsung can’t ship its Android 15-based One UI 7 update early, as it was delayed until next year. Smaller brands have a terrible reputation for delivering fast and reliable Android updates, like Motorola, which brought Android 14 to the Motorola Razr Plus 2023 a full year after its release.
OnePlus is one of the few companies with a presence in North America, not named Google, that managed to bring Android 15 to the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Pad 2 in time.
Google seems to have recognized this issue with Android, and is actively fixing it. Android 16 is slated for release in the second quarter of 2025, and will reach platform stability in March. That’s months ahead of schedule, and the extra time will give partner OEMs — like Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, and others — the time they need to deliver Android version updates alongside the release of their flagship phones.
What’s Changing About Android’s Annual Release Schedule
The first developer preview for Android 16 is here early, and it’s not by accident. Google says the move is “the start of more Android API releases as part of our efforts to drive faster innovation in apps and devices”. Blog post What exactly does a launch announcement look like? For one, there will now be two SDK releases per year, with the big one coming in Q2 2025.
The major SDK release will be the Android version update we’re used to, which is Android 16 in 2025. However, instead of reaching the final release in the third quarter, it will come earlier in the whole quarter. This is the update that will include significant changes in Android behavior, APIs and new features.
Google says it’s pushing the release forward by a quarter “to better align with device launch schedules across our ecosystem, so more devices can get major Android releases sooner.”
There’s more – the company will now release one. Second SDK release in the last quarter of 2025. This will be a “modest” SDK release, according to Google, larger than a quarterly feature reduction but smaller than an annual version update. A minor SDK release in Q4 2025 will bring new APIs and features but will not change behavior.
The goal is to “ensure consistent quality” for the Android platform while not placing an additional burden on developers. This final SDK release will contain feature updates, optimizations, bug fixes, and new developer APIs but will not include behavioral changes that may cause compatibility issues for apps. “The Q2 major release (Android 16) will be the only release in 2025 that includes planned behavioral changes that may affect apps,” Google asserts.
There are still quarterly Android updates. They will now arrive in Q1 and Q3, splitting major and minor SDK releases with features only. Put it all together, and Google’s changes in Android releases are far more widespread than when Android 16 shipped just a few months ago. These are strategic changes that will help the platform as a whole but will. Really Support partner OEM.
The changed schedule will improve the new Android phones.
Right now, it’s hard to buy an Android phone, and the timing of software releases is the reason. For example, Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 in July, and the former is the most expensive phone it sells. However, it shipped with Android 14, it’s still running Android 14, and it will. keep Running Android 14 at least until the new year, when Samsung is expected to release One UI 7.
This is a problem. The best Android phones should run the best Android versions, but that rarely happens. Even Google’s own Pixel 9 series launched without a new version of Android for the first time.
Hopefully this will be a problem of the past soon. By releasing developer previews, beta releases, and final versions of Android updates early, partner OEMs will have plenty of time to tune up their Android skins before device releases. “We are actively working with our device partners to bring the Q2 release (Android 16) to as many devices as possible,” Google says.
Could this mean more devices, not just the Pixel, launch with the latest Android updates? Or, does this mean Android releases become less about syncing with hardware releases and more about getting installed on as many devices as possible?
These are the questions we are still waiting for answers. However, it’s hard not to be excited about the future of Android. Google’s announcements this week confirm a few important things. It is committed to working with partner OEMs to help them update their phones to the latest Android version as quickly as possible. It will also keep up the flow of Android updates with security drops, quarterly updates, and other major SDK releases.
I’m hoping Android leaders—Samsung, Google, and others—will use these changes to deliver consistent, high-quality, and faster Android version releases, eliminating the idea that The platform is not as reliable as Apple’s.
